From ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ to ‘A Few Good Men’, these 5 Rob Reiner classics showcase his cinematic range and enduring cultural impact.
LOS ANGELES: Rob Reiner’s cinematic career spanned decades and defied easy categorisation, embracing courtroom drama, fantasy, horror, comedy and satire.
His successes were distinguished by incisive writing and a deep humanity that wove his work into the fabric of popular culture.
Few filmmakers have matched Reiner’s breadth or left behind so many lines quoted everywhere from comedy stages to political podiums.
In the wake of his death, that legacy has come into sharper focus through tributes to a filmmaker whose work blended wit, empathy and moral clarity.
Here are five Reiner classics, endlessly rewatched and quoted, that now stand as both entertainment and epitaph.
‘This Is Spinal Tap’ in 1984 was Reiner’s directorial debut and helped invent the modern mockumentary.
The film chronicles a hapless British heavy-metal band on a US tour gone spectacularly awry.
Initially overlooked, it earned just USD 6 million and no major awards but later joined the US National Film Registry for its cultural significance.
Home video and its endlessly quotable dialogue transformed it into a cult phenomenon.
A notable quote is “These go to 11,” a deadpan declaration about an amplifier’s volume knob that became shorthand for excess.
‘The Princess Bride’ in 1987 is a fairy tale brimming with swordplay, true love, revenge and relentlessly quotable dialogue.
Another modest box-office performer at USD 31 million, it blossomed into one of the most cherished films of the 1980s.
Though it earned no Oscars, its cultural immortality is unquestioned.
A notable quote is “As you wish,” a romantic refrain later revealed to mean “I love you.”
‘When Harry Met Sally…’ in 1989 features two neurotic New Yorkers debating whether men and women can ever be “just friends.”
This became the blueprint for the modern rom-com, earning a screenplay Oscar nod and grossing USD 93 million worldwide.
A notable quote is “I’ll have what she’s having,” a deadpan line in an iconic diner scene placed in the American Film Institute’s list of memorable movie quotes.
‘Misery’ in 1990 saw Reiner plunge into psychological horror with this Stephen King adaptation about a novelist held captive by an unhinged superfan.
He directed Kathy Bates to an Academy Award for her turn as deranged nurse Annie Wilkes.
The film netted roughly USD 61 million worldwide on a modest budget.
A notable quote is “I’m your number one fan,” a chilling proclamation of obsessive devotion.
‘A Few Good Men’ in 1992 is a taut courtroom drama about a young Navy lawyer uncovering a deadly conspiracy.
Reiner delivered a morally complex thriller powered by Aaron Sorkin’s script and Jack Nicholson’s volcanic performance.
The film scored four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and grossed USD 243 million worldwide.
A notable quote is “You can’t handle the truth,” a thunderous courtroom declaration that has become one of cinema’s most quoted lines. – AFP
